The People of The Peregrine Fund: Chelsea Haitz

For anyone who works with birds, the question is almost inevitable: “What’s your favorite bird?” Most of us smile, shrug our shoulders, and wax philosophical at the sheer impossibility of picking a favorite when they’re all so wonderful. But not our Propagation Program Manager Chelsea Haitz.

“Let me introduce you to Tapu,” says Chelsea with a smile, leaning forward in her chair in our propagation office. A few clicks of the mouse later, and one of the bank of monitors shifts, from a checkerboard of a dozen camera feeds from one of our propagation barns to a closeup of just a single, stately adult California Condor. Officially California Condor #71, Tapu is one of 58 California Condors that currently form our captive breeding program, the largest for the species in the world. He’s also, as Chelsea reverently puts it, her twin.

“Tapu and I were born on the exact same day of the exact same year,” she explains. “We have been on this earth taking in our surroundings for the exact same amount of time. It’s incredible to think about.”

While their work with condors may grab most of the headlines, our propagation program also maintains small flocks of Aplomado Falcons and Taita Falcons. Chelsea and the rest of our four-woman propagation team breed these birds and prepare their offspring for release into the wild every year, a task that is paradoxically both extremely hands-off and hands-on. In order to keep the birds wild, the team almost never directly interacts with them, instead predominantly observing through cameras such as the one now trained on Tapu. But at the same time, there’s never a moment when the team is truly off the clock.

“We’re stewards for the health and wellbeing of our breeding flocks every day,” Chelsea explains. “We feel a deep responsibility for making the lives of these long-lived birds as good and as purposeful as they can possibly be.” She leans back in her chair and quietly observes her feathered “sibling,” who is now preening peacefully next to his mate, for a few moments. “It’s a responsibility that we love and cherish.”